A later 2015 interview with the BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell again showed how the Duke preferred to control his own life, after Wills, Kate and Harry were accused of being “reluctant royals”.
The reason for the accusation came as a result of a report that showed stats which revealed the Queen carried out more engagements than all three young royals combined.
“To be honest, I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime and it’s something that I don’t completely ignore, but it’s not something I take completely to heart.
“I’m concentrating very much on my role as a father, and I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously," William said.
“I want to bring my children up to be good people, with the idea of service and duty to others being very important.
“If I can’t give my time to my children too, then I worry about their future.”
At the time, William reportedly also confessed to Nicholas that royal duty has the potential to “weigh you down at an early age”.
He continued: “I take duty very seriously, and I take my responsibilities very seriously but it’s about finding your own way at the right time and if you’re not careful, duty can sort of weigh you down an awful lot at an early age.”
Wills’ poignant confession may have gone unnoticed at the time, but its message has extra meaning nowadays, given that his brother Harry has been so vocal about royal pressures.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced in January that they would be stepping back from their roles as Senior Royals.
Something which will no doubt impact on Prince William and his wife and their family, as they work under the increasing pressure of their roles.